1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a method for determining the gas consumption of a gas-powered engine. The invention is further directed to a control device for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that the fuel consumption of a diesel engine, for example, the fuel consumption of a marine diesel engine, depends on the prevailing operating conditions or prevailing ambient conditions under which the diesel engine is operated. Therefore, it is known from diesel engines to convert an actual fuel consumption acquired under actual operating conditions or actual ambient conditions to a target fuel consumption or reference fuel consumption under target or reference operating conditions or target or reference ambient conditions.
For example, for gas-powered gas engines or gas-powered dual-fuel engines, it has been assumed heretofore that a motor control device can fully compensate for fluctuating operating conditions and fluctuating ambient conditions, particularly a fluctuating ambient air pressure, a fluctuating ambient air temperature, a fluctuating ambient air humidity, a fluctuating methane number of the gas, a fluctuating ignition timing of the engine, a fluctuating charge air temperature and a fluctuating exhaust gas backpressure, so that the fuel consumption of a gas-powered engine is not dependent on these operating conditions and ambient conditions of the gas-powered engine.
However, practice has shown that gas-powered engines cannot fully compensate for the above-mentioned operating conditions and ambient conditions so that the gas consumption of gas-powered engines is quite dependent on the above-mentioned operating conditions and ambient conditions.